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Nikolai Kalinin
Nikolai Kalinin '''is a former Russian Army officer and a major character in the TACITUS saga. He served in the Russian Ground Forces, joining fresh out of high school, considered to be the best soldier in the unit, before a family tragedy led him to transfer to a Russian Special Ops unit embedded within the Spetsnaz, known as Kasatka (Russian for Killer Whale). Biography Early life and military career Not much is known about Nikolai's past, but it is known that in 1999, he foiled a home invasion while on vacation in New York City while visiting relatives in New York City. He was seventeen years old at the time. Spetsnaz career ''Main article: ''St. Petersburg Saboteurs Nikolai enlisted in the Russian military after graduating high school. In Vapor in the Wind, it is revealed that he served in the Russian Ground Forces' 8th Combined Arms Army. As a Russian Ground Forces soldier, Nikolai was very efficient and very resilient when it came to combat. He was described as a man who could "kill without second thoughts." He was also very loyal to his comrades, which earned him some close friends in the Spetsnaz Unit. While in the Spetsnaz, Nikolai and a few of his colleagues formed the Saint Petersburg Seven (named after hte fact that Nikolai himself was among six other people who were from St. Petersburg). As the Saint Petersburg Saboteurs, Nikolai and his buddies fought tooth and nail against the Chechens during the Second Chechen War. Under Nikolai Kalinin's lead, the unit was able to inflict numerous casualties against the Chechens. However, disaster struck one day in early 2011 when a stray mortar from a Chechen militant killed multiple people at Nikolai's forward operating base in the Caucasus. Nikolai and the rest of the St. Petersburg Saboteurs escaped with their lives, but his girlfriend and younger brother were killed, leaving Nikolai grief-stricken, angry, and obssessed with vengeance. His friends in the unit also desired payback, but feared that Nikolai's obsession would put himself, as well as other people, in danger. Later that same year, Nikolai's commanding officer Konstantin Petrov decided to give him a chance at inflicting his vengeance upon the Islamist funddamentalist world. Six months later, Nikolai transferred to a top secret special operations unit within the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, known as Kasatka. Kasatka In Kasatka, under the careful guidance of friend and mentor Konstantin Petrov, Nikolai quickly grew to be a ruthless killing machine. Powered by rage and hatred, Nikolai had eventually become the ultimate weapon against the Islamic State. In the Islamic State's eyes, he was seen as a "scourge", a serious threat that had to be eliminated. However, at the same time the Islamic State feared him. The Islamic State had put a bounty on his head, but since he was so good at evading his enemies, no one was able to claim that bounty. Nikolai's first mission came in late 2012; he had orders to find and rescue human trafficking victim Sashenka Danilova, who was a Russian model at the time. After infiltrating the site where an "auction" of some kind was supposed to happen, Nikolai spent some time spying on Sashenka's captors. However, the mission went sideways when a pair of Turkish assassins ambushed the human traffickers, resulting in a vicious firefight involving both Nikolai's team, the two Turkish assassins, and the human traffickers. Though Nikolai escaped with Sashenka, his men suffered heavy casualties. Nikolai himself was nearly killed in the gunfight, but was saved by one of the Turkish assassins. Though Nikolai spent some time trying to question her about her loyalties and who put the two assassins up to this job, she refused to divulge any information and later fled the scene. At one point during his career in Kasatka, Nikolai met a girl named Amina Kazi, known among her friends as the Angel of Death because she, like Nikolai, was remarkably efficient in fighting against the Islamic State. However, he was suddenly transferred to the Caucasus Region in Russia before he could spend more time with her. In 2014, during a mission to the the Caucasus Region of Russia, Nikolai met a young woman only known by her codename, Frostbite. They worked together at random times during missions and Nikolai describes their history as a "rocky friendship." At first, the two hated each other because of their unorthodox methods. However, she was soon able to get used to Nikolai's unorthodox fighting style. At one point, Nikolai learned that his old friend Amina was kidnapped by the Islamic State and was being held captive in the Caucasus. Nikolai surprised the Islamic State by massacring his way through the Islamic State troops, successfully rescuing Amina in the process. During the mission, Roman Petrovitch Orlov, a traitor within the ranks of Kasatka, secretly ratted Nikolai and his men out ot Islamic State forces in the area. When Nikolai found out, he simply executed Roman and then had the Russian government pin the blame on Islamic State militants. Soon after this incident, Nikolai left Kasatka and continued an education majoring in Communications at the St. Louis University of Missouri, maintaining a day job as a staff writer at the student-run newspaper, the Riverside Gazette. Beginnings of Christian Nihilism Later on in his life, it is revealed that Nikolai had gradually abandoned his original view of Agnosticism and adopted a rather unorthodox blend of both Nihilism and Christianity (a form of "Christian Nihilism"). After years of reading the Christian Bible, Nikolai came to accept the basic claims of the Bible-that a holy higher power made the world and that humanity became morally broken as a result of sin. He also grew to accept that Jesus died and rose again three days later. However, in an ironic twist, the message of the Gospel turned Nikolai into a cynical, pessimistic person, viewing all humans as "evil monsters" and guilty of "killing the Son of God" with their sins against the Father. This pessimism eventually became a part of Nikolai's personality for the rest of his life. Task Force Reaper By 2015, Nikolai Kalinin found himself in Task Force Reaper, a vigilante private military contractor that hired him because of his experience as a former Spetsnaz operative, in addition to experience as a Task Force Kasatka commando. Kalinin eventually became one of the most feared members of Task Force Reaper, second only to field commander Vinnie Crosby. As of 2018, being a staff writer at the Riverside Gazette is his day job, while being a PMC for the Reapers is his night job. Becoming a supersoldier In early 2017, Nikolai was handpicked by the Russian government to partake in a new experiment involving a serum that would, supposedly, enhance soldiers' performance and combat abilities in the battlefield. The project, dubbed Operation Snowstorm, saw volunteers being augmented with a supersoldier serum that gave test subjects bullet resistant skin. The serum, dubbed Necro, was a success: it surpassed its designers' expectations. However, its existence was withheld from the public to prevent the drug from falling into the hands of terrorists, criminals, or other malevolent entities. Shocking discovery Sometime after joining Task Force Reaper, it is revealed that Nikolai is actually a descendant of notorious Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The revelation left Nikolai in a life crisis, wondering if Nikolai was cursed in some way. Life: A Compilation In Life: A Compilation, Nikolai is seen multiple times, giving his view on life and narrating about his personal adventures during his current life as a Task Force Reaper operative. Operation Lone Wolf In the summer of 2017, Nikolai participates in Operation Lone Wolf, another mission to dismantle a human trafficking ring, this time in East Asia. Upon hearing from one of his ex-military comrades, Dasha Aslakhanova, that her daughter Alla had been kidnapped while traveling with family friends in China, Nikolai immediately calls together the St. Petersburg Saboteurs while at the same time, Task Force Reaper assemble to discuss another hostage situation involving an American tourist named Ophelia Drake, who was also kidnapped around the same time. Acting on a lead from an informant in Indonesia, the team go to Macau to investigate an individual who may have had a role in the kidnapping both Ophelia and Alla: Jeremiah Ulunjadi, a prominent Indonesian crime lord. The trail leads them to a pawn shop in Macau, where they fall victim to an assassination attempt by both Indonesian and Chinese gangsters, part of the Chinese Triad, which Task Force Reaper and the St. Petersburg Saboteurs all foil. Nikolai manages to plant a tracking device on one of the Triad's vehicles during the brawl, which leads them to an apartment in Macau. While investigating the apartment for any evidence tying Jeremiah Ulunjadi to the kidnapping of Ophelia and Alla, they are attacked by a mysterious woman, known as Black Cat. Nikolai is able to defeat the assassin, but instead of killing her, he interrogates her about what she knows about Jeremiah. Black Cat remains tight-lipped about knowledge of Jeremiah's involvement, but she does reveal a nightclub he frequently visits that may hold more clues. She then flees the apartment. Acting on her lead, Nikolai and the team hightail it to the nightclub, but Black Cat gets there first. She beats up two of Jeremiah's guards, but Jeremiah himself flees the nightclub, but not before deploying his enforcer Raharjo to kill the assassin. The Reapers and St. Petersburg Saboteurs arrive at the nightclub, but instead of Jeremiah, they instead witnsess Raharjo attacking Black Cat. In the ensuing melee, Raharjo is killed and Jeremiah flees the scene. Searching Raharjo's corpse, Nikolai finds evidence of human trafficking: a letter from a certain individual named Ryom Du-Ho saying that he will receive a "shipment" of girls and young women that have been transported from both Europe and the United States, and a ledger containing the names of various clients that Du-Ho wants the girls and young women delivered to. Realizing that they have stumbled upon a human trafficking operation, Nikolai shows his friends the information and they hightail it to their hotel in Macau to figure out a plan of action. Inside his hotel in Macau, Nikolai discovers two addresses: one leads to a drug manufacturing warehouse and the other leads to an abandoned casino that the Triad is using to ship trafficked girls and young women to Indonesia. From here, the team splits up: Nikolai and the St. Petersburg Saboteurs chase down the freighter while the Reapers proceed to destroy the drug manufacturing plant, in the process killing Ryom Du-Ho's brother, Pang Du-Ho. In an attempt to humiliate Ryom Du-Ho, Vince Crosby live streams the killing of Pang Du-Ho on video, which is seen by millions across the globe. Nikolai heads to the casino and confronts Ryom Du-Ho, who attempts to mock Nikolai and taunt him. In an attempt to emotionally break him, Ryom tells Nikolai that he is too late: Alla and Wendy have been sold to Korean clients and are long gone. Nikolai responds by showing Ryom the video of Vince Crosby brutally killing his brother Pang, infuriating him. He proceeds to verbally slander Nikolai with acidic comments, eventually vowing to kill him. Much to his surprise, Nikolai laughs it off, then retaliates with an equally acidic comeback, saying he hopes Ryom Du-Ho dies in a prison cell (a comment that was actually said by Ophelia's younger sister, Wendy Drake), before pulling out a gun and massacring everybody in the casino, except Ryom, whom he instead tortures by shooting out his knees before leaving him to the police. He then goes about searching the premises for Alla and Wendy, believing Ryom to be bluffing. Once he reaches the upper floors, however, he encounters Justus Barus and Wendy Drake fighting Ryom's henchmen. After killing his way through the casino, he finds Alla and Wendy, shaken but alive. He reports his finding to the Reapers and the two girls are returned home to their families alive, but mentally scarred. Personal details Skills and personality Nikolai was a nice and caring person in his youth, but after a series of personal tragedies while serving in the Russian military, Nikolai became a cold and violent man who wanted nothing more than to exact what he saw as "righteous vengeance" against the people who have hurt him. In an ironic twist, this cynical and pessimistic mentality was fueled by the Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ, something that he blames humanity for (which in some ways is actually Biblically true) He particularly has a strong hatred for Islamic extremism (Thanks to the atrocities of the Islamic State of New Palestine), holds a rather mistrusting view towards Muslims, and has a strong hatred of white supremacist groups. He also seems to be a rather sadistic person, having been known to partake in brutal executions almost with a sense of twisted happiness. He seems to enjoy watching his enemies suffer. One notable example is an incident in the past where he gleefully tortured a serial killer to death after witnessing him strangling a young woman to the point where she passed out. As a Spetsnaz operative, Nikolai possesses excellent firearms handling skills and tactical driving skills, fond of using vehicles as offensive weapons if necessary. He also has a solid aim when shooting and almost never misses whenever he shoots at a target. Nikolai is also trained in Systema Spetsnaz, the official martial arts of the Russian Army. However, he is also trained in mixed martial arts (MMA) and Keysi Fighting Method (KFM), both of which he became skilled in during his teen years. He is also very aggressive in combat, possessing a level of savagery that most people are unaware of. This makes him a formidable opponent, as well as a feared fighter among enemy organizations. He was also considered a rather sadistic man when it comes to interrogating prisoners and/or criminals, preferring to torture the information out of them rather than asking them nicely. Whenever he was confronted about this, Kalinin justifies his actions by claiming that "one can never get a man to crack, unless you crack them first." He is also very good at both bluffing and carrying out threats, often times doing both in succession: he will often threaten an action, then hesitate long enough for his opponent to accuse him of bluffing, only to carry out his threat at the last minute. Despite this, he was also a very loyal person, a man willing to die for his comrades. He saw the people in his military unit as a form of "extended family", which led to him becoming a well-known and well-respected individual. Habits and beliefs ''"Jesus died the most horrible death known to man, and His blood is on your hands...How can you see hope in Jesus' death and resurrection, when I '''couldn't?"'' - Nikolai Kalinin explaining his view of Cynical Theism. Nikolai had an interest in folk songs as a child and adolescent, but as he grew older he began to grow fond of death metal, thrash metal, and heavy metal, music that he admired because it sounded "angry" and matched the dark and hateful philosophy he had towards certain people. Nikolai was also a self-proclaimed atheist/agnostic for most of his life, though he was open to hearing about other people's beliefs. For years, he believed that people of faith and, to a certain extent, faith itself, are hypocritical. He often accused people of using the holy books of various different religions to justify absolute certainty that their interpretation of their faith/religion's fundamental teachings are correct, when in fact they could be wrong. He was, in a sense, similar to Diane Mack in that he treated all faiths with a grain of salt. Nikolai also has an interesting view on faith. In his mind, faith and having confidence contradict each other. Nikolai agrees with the Biblical definition of faith (Hebrews 11:1), but he believes the Bible seems to indicate that faith is trust despite any ''form of confidence or assurance from anybody, and that one can (and should) maintain trust in any sort of God, despite the absence of assurance. Henceforth, when this logic is applied to the question of salvation, when people say they can know for sure if they will go to Heaven when they die based on the works of Jesus and His righteousness (John 3:16, John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9), Nikolai maintains that such a claim actually shows a ''lack ''of faith, since humans do not have the moral authority to "know for sure" if their salvation is real. Since Jesus is the only One who knows how salvation works, to say one can know for sure if they're going to Heaven when they die (even if they did trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior), they are essentially saying that they possess absolute knowledge of the Divine and therefore show that either: 1. Jesus was wrong when He claimed to have knowledge of salvation, or 2. Humans are gods themselves. Both conclusions show pride and arrogance, while belief and faith show humility before God. As time grew on, Nikolai formed a rather distorted view of Christianity he called "Cynical Theism", or "Theistic Cynicism", transforming a cynical and pessimistic man whose negative views were (in an ironic twist) fueled by the Biblical doctrine of the Gospel itself and, to a certain extent, the Parable of the Madman by Friedrich Nietzsche. The Bible holds that Jesus, the Son of God and God Incarnate, died on a cross and rose again in three days to save humanity from its sins. However, after reading the Bible for fifteen years, Nikolai was convinced that Jesus died not for, but ''because of humanity's sins and that all humanity from Adam to 21st century man is guilty of the "ultimate sin" of "murdering God." Although Jesus resurrected after three days, Nikolai holds, this does nothing to absolve humanity of its guilt, instead viewing the cross as further proof of humanity's guilt of sin. This pessimism can be clearly demonstrated by frequent occurences where Nikolai attempts to guilt-trip people using the doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection. Furthermore, he believes that it is offensive to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection, deeming it somewhat "blasphemous" because by doing so, Nikolai claims, humanity has reduced Jesus' death on the cross to a mere "human joke." He also frequently challenges Christians to make a defense for why they could see hope in Jesus' death and resurrection, when he could not. Fighting Style Nikolai mainly uses Systema , the official martial art of the Russian military, in hand-to-hand combat. However, he has been known to use other martial arts while in hand-to-hand combat. One notorious fight move that he is sometimes known to use is the Thrust Punch, an extremely extremely fast and powerful attack, strengthened by the body enhancements brought on by Perk-Up-Cola: Kalinin thrusts his arm forward and punches the enemy in the chest (more specifically, the heart): this powerful blow either causes a heart attack that kills the enemy outright, or sends them flying several feet across the ground. Powers and abilities Powers *'Limited Invincibility': After ingesting Perk-Up-Cola, Nikolai is virtually invincible to bullet damage, fall damage and explosive damage, with its skin being bullet resistant. However, he can still feel pain from getting shot, punched or kicked. In addition, Nikolai can also still die from natural causes; the invincibility only applies to bullets, stab wounds, and blunt force trauma. *'Enhanced Strength': Drinking Perk-Up Cola has granted Nikolai Kalinin with an upgraded body, with his strength enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He can fight entire armies of people with his bare hands due to his ability to throw people around like five-pound weights. *'Enhanced Durability': Nikolai Kalinin can last longer than a normal human being because of Perk-Up-Cola enhancing his body; he can survive blunt force trauma, getting thrown around by explosions, and getting hit by vehicles. In fact, to knock Nikolai unconscious, one needs to run him over three times with a truck or some other heavy vehcicle, or even drop an entire building on him. *'Enhanced Speed': He can run faster than normal humans, at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving and running into the early levels of superhuman condition. He can beat people in races up stairwells easily. *'Enhanced Agility': Nikolai's agility, thanks to Perk-Up-Cola, far surpasses that of a normal human being. He can coordinate his body with perfect balance, equilibrium, flexibility, and dexterity. He can also outrun a bear *'Enhanced Stamina': With Perk-Up-Cola, Nikolai can run faster and longer distances without feeling tired. *'Enhanced Reflexes': With Perk-Up Cola, Nikolai's reflexes are enhanced far beyond those of a normal human being. *'Regenerative Healing Factor': Perk-Up-Cola also enhanced Nikolai Kalinin's healing ability. He has been punched, beat-up, thrown around, and hit with blunt force objects and even vehicles and recovered, thanks to a conditioned metabolism that enables an extraordinarily efficient recovery. In one particular instance, he survived a mortar explosion at close range, which should've killed him under normal circumnstances. Notable achievements Vigilante Justice record *2014-Killing Roman Orlov, traitor to Task Force Kasatka *2015-Nikolai embarks on a massive killing spree against the Islamic State of New Palestine, inflicting heavy casualties. Islamic State militants put up a bounty for his life, but all attempts to kill him and claim the bounty have failed thus far. *Early 2016-Vinnie, Nikolai and Brandon form Task Force Reaper; his official mission with the organization is the assassination of the nephew of a Saudi prince who is discovered to be funding the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. *Mid 2016-Vinnie, Nikolai, and Derek Westbrook find and rescue one of Derek's old friends, a young woman named Amber Young. *Mid 2016-Nikolai partakes in a joint operation with TACITUS to rescue human traffickers from a human trafficking ring in Turkey. *Early 2017-Nikolai gets involved with investigating Operation Silver Ghost *2018-February 2018 Religious Riots; in response to a Oneness Pentacostal Street Preacher spreading Christianity at the St. Louis University of Missouri and the surrounding vicinity, Ellie Cohen, Kalinin himself, Emmett Mack, Vince Crosby, Derek Westbrook, and various other people gathered up a crowd of people and spoke against Oneness Pentacostalism. The situation suddenly escalated into a full-blown riot, and eventually a fistfight, when the street preacher persisted in his preaching, and it got so bad that police had to get involved. Thankfully, nobody was severely injured. Trivia *Nikolai's acidic comment to Ryom Du-Ho about dying in a prison cell is similar to how a judge raged against a convicted killer and told her "I hope you die in prison as well." Quotes "Normally this is the part where I say I might as well kill you...but death is too good for you. You sold them-you sold Alla and Ophelia-without a second thought, regarding them as mere animals, cargo to be shipped off to humans. It did not matter which country they were from-you kept on selling and selling and selling and selling to build up your riches...I agree with the Drakes, '''I HOPE YOU DIE IN PRISON AS WELL'!!!!"'' - Nikolai Kalinin to Ryom Du-Ho before slaughtering Ryom's men. Dialog with others "You think zis is a joke to you? You seriously think this is a game? Well, guess what, it's not. Normally this is the part where I say I might as well kill you...but death is too good for you. You sold them-you sold Alla and Ophelia-without a second thought, regarding them as mere animals, cargo to be shipped off to humans. (He suddenly begins shouting) It did not matter which country they were from-you kept on selling and selling and selling and selling to build up your riches! I agree with the Drakes, '''I HOPE YOU DIE IN PRISON AS WELL'!!!! If this was the Lord Jesus Christ you were speaking to, YOU'D BE WRITHING IN THE LAKE OF FIRE!!"'' (There is a beat; Ryom Du-Ho is stunned by Nikolai's acidic outburst then he turns to his men) "I have had enough of this mad Russian nonsense-kill him and bring me his head." (Suddenly, Nikolai pulls out a gun and starts slaughtering everybody in the room, much to Ryom Du-Ho's horror) - Nikolai Kalinin and Ryom Du-Ho "I do not mean to intrude, Gospadin, but how many rounds do you have in your personal sidearm?" "Me? I carry a 9mm handgun. Fifteen rounds per clip." "Use it all!" "All?" "Start with the hands, and when they grab it, the other! As they scream and dance and try to escape, you shoot one foot, then the other." "''(uneasy) ''I see, Commander." "Do you? As of right now, you have eleven rounds in the gun, do you not? ''(the soldier nods) ''Both knees. Each shoulder-particularly painful! Make them change their minds, soldier, make them sorry they had the audacity to fight me, and slander me. Make them regret pledging their lives to whatever heathen god they believe in and make them sorry they used said god's name as an excuse to fight me. Make them beg for their lives as they writhe in pain before you. Then you know what to do with the next round." "Heart?" "Ah! Nyet! Do you have '''any' creativity?!? No, you put hot barrel of your weapon to their head....right between the eyes is more like it. Ask if they have any last words, or if they are willing to renounce everything they have said about me, about the Reapers, about all justice warriors everywhere. Then...you let us finish the job..."'' "Which is...?" "Once you are done, our cleanup crew will take care of the rest: we shall douse the bullet-riddled offenders with either kerosene and gasoline. And then? (there is a slight pause) WE BURN THEM ALIVE!!!!" - Nikolai Kalinin and Vince Crosby discussing Nikolai's new (and sadistic) means of executing enemies. Category:Characters Category:Superhumans